What Once Was
by adamantly
Summary: Because Beyond Birthday hasn't always been a serial killer and L Lawliet hasn't always been so paranoid. Before they were the World's Greatest Criminal and Detective, they were just kids. Told in 50 sentences. BBxLL


**Disclaimer**: Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata own all recognizable characters from Death Note. Nisioisin owns all recognizable characters from Death Note: Another Note. No copyright infringement is intended.

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**Warnings**: Spoilers for names (too late) and Another Note. Occasional AU. Insanity. Death. Implications of underaged sex.

**Author's Note**: There are a ton of speculations regarding L and B's relationship. For this challenge, the first generation included L until Watari realized his potential and took him away to either work on cases or to train him further. The other orphans, A and B included were left to become L's successors. Yes, yes, plot holes galore, I know, but it's a rough idea that grew on me. Anyway, a majority of these take place at Wammy's House.

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**01 – Walking**

Walking L like really did nothing for B's back, but he'll do it anyway; it's the only way to get L to notice him.

**02 – Waltz**

L wished that B constructed the Los Angeles BB murder case like a simple three-step waltz rather than an intricate ballet; but then again, if B hadn't, L would've been highly disappointed.

**03 – Wishes**

Sometimes when he was alone with his thoughts, L wished that things could have been easier. **  
**

**04 – Wonder**

L often wondered what went wrong, was it him or was it B; perhaps both?

**05 – Worry**

Watari couldn'tt help but worry about L's reaction when he delivered the news; Beyond Birthday was dead and the cause of death was cardiac arrest.

**06 – Whimsy**

Whimsical was a good way to describe L's genuine laughter, it was soft and kind of breathy; unfortunately, it was the only thing B was incapable of imitating.

**07 – Waste/Wasteland**

Kira disposed of Beyond Birthday thinking that he's one step closer cleaning up this wasteland of a planet; he vaguely wonders if he's related to L and laughs at the horrible irony.

**08 - Whiskey and Rum**

While B literally _cackles_ on the roof of the church, the only thing L can think of is that he needs a drink, fast.

**09 – War**

The detective war against Eraldo Coil had been nothing compared to the turmoil hunting down Beyond Birthday had caused L.

**10 – Weddings**

"We could get married one day," a twelve-year-old B had said bluntly one day and L had stared at him as if he were insane, but didn't completely reject the idea until he realize how utterly _stupid _it was.

**11 – Birthday**

It was Beyond Birthday who taught L to be wary of minds similar to his own; it was also Beyond Birthday who taught him that those people would be the only ones he would ever feel _anything_ for.

**12 – Blessing**

Being B's object of, well everything, was a blessing and a curse; L was always updated regularly on his apparent "time of death;" he never took it seriously until he discovered the Death Note.

**13 – Bias**

B may be a tad bit biased, but L is the only thing worth existing for and when November fifth comes, B will take not one, but two lives.

**14 – Burning**

Choosing to burn to death was the hardest decision Beyond made in his master plan because it felt like he was burning L and _that _hurt more.

**15 – Breathing**

For B, becoming L was as simple as breathing; for L, watching B transform into himself was like suffocating.

**16 – Breaking**

The day L called him _Backup _with malicious intent was the day Beyond finally broke.

**17 – Belief**

It's common belief that human beings aren't born killers, but there has always been something slightly off about Beyond Birthday.

**18 – Balloon**

"What goes up must come down, Beyond, and I fear that I won't be there to catch you when you crash."

**19 – Balcony**

"What would you do if I tossed myself over, Lawliet?" B asked him one day, balancing on the railing like a tight-rope; L never answered aloud, but he knew that he would never allow B to fall that far, but then again, L's never been known to keep his word.

**20 – Bane**

L often claimed that B was the bane of his existence, but they both know otherwise.

**21 – Quiet**

They say to watch out for the quiet ones; L and B were prime examples of that theory.

**22 – Quirks**

L's quirks are strange, no doubt, but B makes them look downright obtuse.

**23 – Question**

"L…" B whispered in his ear, licking the outside and grinning as L shuddered –in terror or pleasure, B didn't care;– he continued, "…I could kill you right now," a giggle, "dispose of your body," louder, now, "walk into that building and your oblivious Task Force would be none the wiser," B shrieked with laughter, "would you like to test my theory, L Lawliet?"

**24 – Quarrel**

Sometimes, B picked fights with L merely because after a particularly bad bout, L would always pick the lock to his room door and lie down with him –hold him– just long enough and still manage to be out before wake up call.

**25 – Quitting**

B had started imitating L to the extreme shortly after Watari took him away – L had wanted him to stop immediately, but B had refused, claiming that it was the only way to keep him close.

**26 – Jump**

When L said jump, B asked how high, but L rarely took advantage of that because if B is going down, he's taking L with him to cushion the fall.

**27 – Jester**

_B has a twisted sense of humour_, L thought, but yet he still found himself chuckling against his better judgement.

**28 – Jousting**

Their chess tournaments always lasted ridiculously long, that never changed; another thing that didn't change was that when B won, it was always with his knight knocking over L's king – and the fact that he had that slightly demented grin on his face as he did so.

**29 – Jewel**

As volatile as B was, he always took care of L like the rarest jewel.

**30 – Just**

L sacrificed everything to be just, but he couldn't push for the death penalty, no matter how much B deserved it.

**31 – Smirk **

B liked to think that L had a smirk reserved just for him; delusional, yes, but he knew it was true.

**32 – Sorrow**

L hadn't realized just how co-dependent he and B really were until Watari took him away at the tender age of thirteen – maybe if he had chosen to stay instead, B wouldn't have self-destructed and destroyed L in the process.

**33 – Stupidity**

"Shut _up_, Back_up_," orphanage for intellectually gifted children be damned, they were not mature enough to have sex; "_Gah!_ So you _are _in a bad mo_od_!"

**34 – Serenade**

Wammy's House offered a wide array of electives to its students, orchestral music being one of them; L would never admit it, but listening to B play the violin was the only thing that could lull him to sleep.

**35 – Sarcasm**

"B, I was being sarcastic when I said to 'go fuck yourself', now get the _hell_ off of me, please."

**36 – Sordid**

B's cell was absolutely spotless; save for the blood that often coated the walls, B never made a mess, he never knew when L would stop him and could no longer keep track of time.

**37 – Soliloquy **

"Eleven, five, oh-four," B muttered, clutching his hair, "eleven, five, oh-four," he was rocking now, his face twisted partly in amusement and agony, "eleven, five, oh-four…" B threw his head back and laughed_._

**38 – Sojourn**

_This is only temporary_, L told himself, _I'll see him one more time, and this will be the last, – _but L has never been known for keeping his word.

**39 – Share**

"Sharing is caring,_ L Lawliet_," B said one day, his head burried contentedly in L's neck, arms clenched around him possessively; L sighed, but lovingly ran his hands through B's hair, "yes, and caring is manipulation, _Beyond Birthday_."

**40 – Solitary**

L had always been a solitary soul, but even he needed human from time to time – and somehow, B always knew _when_.

**41 – Nowhere**

Beyond Birthday, age fourteen, abandonded Wammy's House, Backup and L –_L_–behind only to realize belatedly that he had nowhere to go.

**42 – Neutral (Sequel to 05 – Worry)**

L kept his expression neutral as Watari told him of B's death and shot Light a look before very nearly attacking the boy; L has never felt such an all-consuming _hatred_ before – or such heart wrenching agony.

**43 – Nuance**

Only Quillsh Wammy could detect the subtle nuances between L and B and even he doubted if L was really who he said he was at times.

**44 – Near**

Near was well aware that Backup was completely obsessed with L and he could only hope in vain that Mello wouldn't end up like him; they've both already nearly burnt to death.

**45 – Natural**

Naturally, L knew that everything about Beyond Birthday was wrong, but that didn't stop him from loving him nonetheless.

**46 – Horizon**

L could feel death looming over him; he wondered if that was what drove B insane, seeing his own death date every time he glanced in the mirror.

**47 – Valiant**

Naomi Misora was valiant, B would give her that much credit, but she would never be worthy of being L's mask.

**48 – Virtuous**

B was anything but virtuous, even at a young age, but when L found him curled up asleep on one of the orphanage's more comfortable couches, L couldn't help but notice how… angelic he looked.

**49 – Victory**

Kira's victory meant L's death, and L now knew that B's "eleven, five, oh-four" mutterings weren't as random as he wished to believe.

**50 – Defeat**

B screamed in defeat as his heart seized; he realized he wouldn't be able to take the only thing that ever mattered in his life; L's heart, figuratively and literally.

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Written for the 1sentence – 50 Sentence challenge on livejournal.


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